How to choose the best air purifier for you
1A quality air purifier can lift pollen, dust, pet dander and smoke from the air and help ease the symptoms of asthma, hay fever and other allergies. There are a wide range of air purifiers on the market today, but since not all things are made equal, it’s worth taking a little time to find the perfect machine for you.
Check out our tried and tested roundup of the best air purifiers on the market today: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-appliances/1406008/best-air-purifier
To help get you up to speed, we’ll cover the air purifier essentials and highlight key features to look for, enabling you to make a well-informed buying decision.
How do air purifiers work?
While designs vary, all air purifiers work in the same fundamental way. They remove contaminants from your home’s air by drawing it through a series of filters before circulating the clean air back into your home.
You’ll want to look for a purifier that utilises a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA filter. These filters are standardised and capable of capturing particles as small as 0.3 microns across - or three times smaller than a cigarette smoke particle. You’ll need to replace the filter periodically to maintain the purifier’s effectiveness, typically every six months or so, but this will depend on the model and how often it’s used.
Some air purifiers also feature additional pre-filters to collect larger particles before they hit the HEPA filter, like pet hair and dust. These tend to be washable and so don’t need replacing as often.
Which air purifiers perform the best?
Filtration performance should be your top priority. Quality air purifiers carry a clean air delivery rate or CADR rating. The CADR is an objective measure of a purifier’s effectiveness, telling you how many cubic metres of air it can clean per hour. Some models list separate ratings for dust, pollen and smoke, allowing you to focus on the best model for your particular needs.
A 200 CADR model can clean 200 cubic metres of air per hour, while a 300 CADR model can clean 300 cubic metres of air per hour and so, generally speaking, the higher the CADR, the larger the room it can purify effectively.
With a smaller room of around 10-to-15 square metres, a compact air purifier with a CADR of 80 to 160 should do the job, but for a medium-sized living room you’ll want a CADR of at least 200. For larger rooms and open-plan spaces, look for a CADR of 300 or more.
It’s also worth checking whether the manufacturer has provided any guidance on the maximum room size as this can vary greatly from model to model, independent of CADR.
Additional things to look out for
Noise: Noise can be an important factor as some air purifiers run noticeably louder than others. While it can be tricky to evaluate noise without having the model in front of you, you’ll find our hands-on reviews and recommendations on the Expert Reviews website.
Controls: Most air purifiers offer a choice of speeds, allowing you to turn it up when the pollen count is high or down when you want to sleep.
The ability to control the purifier by remote is another perk, especially if you’re using it in a large room. Some even offer Wi-Fi connectivity, enabling you to control the purifier from your phone.
Sensors: As you can’t see when the quality of your air drops, having an in-built air-quality sensor can be useful.
Some machines are able to visually indicate when the air quality drops, either via a digital display or colour indicator.
While not essential, a filter replacement indicator can also be handy, as this helps ensure your machine is always working most effectively.
Humidifier: Some high-end purifiers can also double-up as humidifiers, to help prevent irritation to the nose, throat, lips and skin caused by dry air.
For our complete rundown of the best air purifiers on the market along with the latest deals, see our website: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-appliances/1406008/best-air-purifier
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